Impurrfect Unpredictable Ball

This mis-shaped sphere sometimes has a mind of its own. This is partly due to its unique shape… it started as a sphere, but selected points were stretched slightly out of kilter to help create random motion. The effect is a bit like mexican jumping beans.

To make things more interesting, I split it into two parts so I could control the weight distribution by the amount of type of infill.

And to finish it off, I paused the print about one-third of the way through and dropped 10-15 grains of rice in the larger pockets.

Print Instructions

You'll need to print the top, bottom and one of the pins depending on your printer's dimensional accuracy.

After loading the STL, the top and pins should be oriented correctly. You'll need to rotate the bottom so the large flat surface is on the print bed.

Set the infill to 80% support cubic. This adds weight to the top-most portion of the two halves to enhance the wobble.

Assembly

Everything should go together with a simple snap fit, but you might need to use superglue to hold the seam closed.

The hex pin is not directional. Make sure you have the top and bottom aligned before you snap them together. It's a tight fit and highly unlikely you'll be able to take it apart.

And most important of all…

Cats can see color, but they're a bit like colorblind humans – they can't tell the difference between red, green and yellow. Most colors are muted, but blues, greens and grays “pop” the most. Try a few different colors… your cat might have a favorite.